The selective abortion of girls harms women and reinforces misogynist
attitudes - so why isn't it in the public interest to prosecute anyone who
engages in such activity, asks Cathy Newman.

Wherever you stand on abortion, it's extremely hard to understand why the Crown Prosecution Service has decided not to press criminal charges against doctors who agreed to arrange terminations because of the sex of the unborn baby. As The Telegraph reported this morning, the CPS declared bluntly it would not be in the "public interest".

But why on earth not?

Anyone who seeks to end an unborn baby's life because it's the "wrong" gender is perpetuating a practice that is not only morally repugnant but illegal. Sex-selection abortion is banned in the UK under the terms of the 1967 Abortion Act, but although it's primarily a problem in parts of India and China, there's growing evidence it's also carried out illegally in communities in this country.

Jenny Hopkins, the deputy chief crown prosecutor for CPS London, admits that although the abortions did not take place "attempting to commit a criminal offence…is also a crime in its own right under the Criminal Attempts Act 1981". She then appears to retreat from that position, insisting that pursuing the case would not be in the public interest, in part because "no abortion took place or would have taken place".

So you can't help asking whether his outrage at the CPS is part of a broader attempt to whittle away at abortion rights more generally?

Clearly Scotland Yard had the same concern, with sources suggesting that prosecutors wanted to steer clear of an issue that's seen as "sensitive" and "political".

Other MPs, medical and legal critics of the CPS decision appear to be coming exclusively from an anti-abortion perspective. The Christian Medical Fellowship complained that doctors were being elevated "above the law". David Burrowes, a Tory MP who also happens to sit on the all-party parliamentary pro-life group, says he'll be looking at whether prosecutors have "overstepped the mark". And the Christian Legal Centre says it's considering a judicial review.

I've written in the past about howmy own experiencehas made me appreciate the complexities of abortion, and how difficult it is to legislate for.

But this isn't about being pro-choice or pro-life. This is about an alleged breach of the law. Where are the pro-choicers publicly condemning the CPS decision? Admittedly one, the Tory MP and GP Sarah Wollaston, tweeted this morning: "I'm not anti-abortion, but selective abortion of girls harms women & reinforces misogynist attitudes. Why isn't that issue public interest?"

I couldn't have put it better myself. Others now need to make their voices heard so that this is seen for what it is - a failure to tackle illegal and misogynistic behaviour - rather than another salvo in the battle to curb abortion rights.